jetboy wrote:I have a couple of tomo boards. 5'4" and 5'2". (I'm 75kg) They are the latest hand shaped designs. I paddle the 5'4" as a thruster and am stoked with its performance in 1-6' waves. Surprisingly it goes well in the steep, hollow stuff even when it's big. The nose never catches. It's a full nose to tail concept design. Everyone that owns one comments on their speed. The board has more versatile surfing range than my regular short boards. It's my most prized board atm and I don't want to trash it kiting. I kite the 5'2". At first I found it a bit skitty or twitchy. It has a different tail design which makes it even looser. It pops in the air at the slightest opportunity. I'm playing around with putting more fin area in either a thruster or quad config, but conditions have been ordinary to gruesome here to say the least. I can see it working well once I get more used to the outline, turning speed, and dial in the fin set up.

Have the 5'2" working well for kiting now. Riding it set up as a quad. I can push it a lot harder through turns than in a thruster combo, very smooth ride. It absolutely trucks upwind compared to my 'normal' surfboards. I'm not usually a fan of quads either, but for some reason it works well with this board. Still prefer the 5'4" as a thruster for paddle surfing.

BudhaNl wrote:Very excited about the development of this shape for kiting, the Firewire guys mentioned on their forum that it should take about 2-3 months still in R&D (post early May).

I hope it's not only 5'4, based on volume the 5'6 would be ideal for me. Also, please do make it available with strap inserts!!

We are still working on it...its a difficult board to put in the current firewire construction because of the channels on the bottom, but it's almost nailed.

It works insane...and even at over 200 lbs...the 5'4" is still a planing machine in the lighter stuff, and a rocket in the heavier/windier conditions.

It will not be available with straps...strapless only! As with this board, right now you can order ANY firewire board as a STRAPLESS (NO STRAPS) kite board with build up construction that is light but rock solid. Email brion.lange@firewiresurfboards.com if you are interested.

The shape looks like a mutant..just take off the nose fins and you'll end up with that shape...I bet in the surfing industry this shape is revolutionary but in kiting it is not. That said, I would like to try one.

The explanation of the vanguard shape is hilarious. They must have had a lot of fun writing that up.